Happy Place Fearne Cotton

Would you choose uncertainty over unhappiness? Happy Place Book Club novel, The List of Suspicious Things, is the first book Jennie Godfrey has written. She was working in a corporate job before she had a moment of clarity and quit her job with no plan B to become a writer.
 
In this chat with Fearne, Jennie explains why, having suffered with anxiety, she took control and chose an uncertain future over an unhappy present, with a little help from an episode of Happy Place...!
 
The List of Suspicious Things centres around the murders of the Yorkshire Ripper. It sounds like a grim subject, but this story – told through the eyes of a young teenage girl – is incredibly warm and charming. Jennie also reveals her family’s own connection to Peter Sutcliffe, the man known at the time as the Yorkshire Ripper.
 
Plus, you’ve been sending your voice notes, reminiscing about the teenage culture of the 1970s.
 
Join the Happy Place Book Club on Instagram @happyplacebookclub – DM your messages and voicenotes about May’s read, Sociopath, to have your thoughts shared on the podcast!
 
...and don’t worry, there are no plot spoilers in this episode!
Listen to Daisy May Cooper's episode.

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What are you dreams trying to tell you about yourself? Neurosurgeon Rahul Jandial feels dreaming is a vital part of being human.
 
In this chat with Fearne, Rahul explains that while our waking brain is generally ruled by the logical executive network... the dreaming brain liberates creative and divergent thinking. We dream, he says, to keep our minds open so they’re able to adapt if our world suddenly changes.
 
They also talk about the role dreams play as our ‘nocturnal therapists’. Dreams allow us a safe space to rehearse real life scenarios we might be anxious or confused about.
 
Sometimes our dreams can reflect what’s happening in our waking life, but what if what you’re experiencing in your dream life is flagging something that you haven’t even recognised about yourself yet? Rahul talks about how to use your dreams as a psychological thermometer.
 
Rahul’s book, This Is Why You Dream, is out now.
 
Listen back to Professor David Nutt’s episode about psychedelics

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‘If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’, as the saying goes. These heightened emotions often sit very close to each other, and there’s a split second where we can decide whether to despair, or to see the funny side of a situation. 
 
Today, Fearne revisits Happy Place conversations that highlight the crossroads where people have decided to cope with shitty incidents by laughing at them, or at themselves.
 
Amongst other guests, Adele Roberts tells the absurd story of what happened to her stoma the night before running the London Marathon, and Dawn French chats about owning the moments you were a bit of a t**t.
 
...and for a really good laugh, there are some behind the scenes outtakes as Fearne attempted to record some calming – and unexpectedly erotic – sleepy stories for the Happy Place app...
 
Listen to Fats Timbo’s episode
 
Listen to Adele Roberts’ episode
 
Listen to Dawn French’s episode
 
Listen to Vicky Pattison’s episode
 
Download the Happy Place app

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When was the last time you enjoyed some silence? Musician Norah Jones appreciates the importance of silence – it allows us to tune into what our minds are trying to tell us.
 
In this chat with Fearne, Norah explains that the rare moments of quiet are when creativity flows most freely. They talk about the feeling of being embarrassed by your work when you’re young, but that it’s important to be ever evolving and honing your craft just by getting on and doing it.
Norah’s new album, Visions, is out now.

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How often do you connect with strangers? There’s something magical about those fleeting moments of intimacy and connection.
 
Today, Fearne introduces an episode of Where Are You Going, a podcast that sees host Catherine Carr chatting to strangers and asking a simple question: “where are you going?” The stories people end up sharing with her go to all sorts of unexpected places – some are funny or loving, and others moving or shocking.
 
In this episode, Catherine meets women who’ve been cold water swimming, and a group of childhood friends who’ve found solace and connection in fishing.
 
New episodes of Where Are You Going? are released every Tuesday and Friday. You can listen back to over 100 episodes wherever you’re listening to this right now.
 
Follow Where Are You Going? on Instagram at @whereareyougoingpodcast and get in touch with Catherine on X @catherineecarr.

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Perfection has taken on a life of its own in recent years. Dawn French worries that the pursuit of perfection is stopping us from being who we are, and from making mistakes we can grow from.
 
In this chat, Fearne and Dawn explore why when we have low tolerance for others making mistakes, we’re likely judging ourselves for our mistakes too. So, in order to have more self-compassion, we have to talk about the cringey times we’ve held inside for fear for being shamed.
 
They also discuss the best ways to apologise when we’re in the wrong, and to allow space for robust debate that might just change our minds. Plus, why it’s so important to be able to say “I don’t know”.
 
Dawn’s book, The T**t Files, is out now.

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